Southern delights, part iii - assorted small bits of South Carolina and road trippin'

That air-conditioned bliss of a rental car I mentioned last time?  In order to obtain it, we had to make our past quite possibly the loneliest/chattiest rental car desk attendant in all of America.  He attempted to regale us with story after story, much of them focused on the mess that is South Carolina politics (and admittedly, they do have a lot of good story material), but finally we hopped in the car and went to the first place any sane person in the Charleston area would think of if they had wheels - the beach!

We did a little exploring on Sullivan's Island, winding our way out to Fort Moultrie on the tip of the island and admiring the houses along the way, dreaming of renting out beachfront homes for a week and not doing a darn thing but relaxing.  Ahhhhh.  Cue the sound of ocean waves...and a blue, blue sky with a loooong stretch of beach just inviting us to come play.

Kami made the insightful observation that all of our summer trips have put us on a beach somewhere - Stinson Beach north of San Francisco in 2007...

...the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago in 2008...

...biking along the beach in Provincetown last year...

...and a little more Atlantic Ocean action this year.  I think there's just something about getting sand between your toes.  You may not think the beach is the best place for me, what with (1) my Casper-like skin and its remarkable ability to not tan at all but rather freckle and fry, (2) a childhood spent nowhere near water of any kind (Lake Meredith does NOT count), and therefore no nostalgic memories of the family lake house or trips with beach floaties in tow, or (3) a small-ish fear of what could be lurking in the water, but...I love it.  I love the sand and the waves and the smell of salt in the air and the way it all whips your hair into a frizzy mess.  A happy, frizzy, sticky mess.  Thank you, beach.

This time around, we took plenty of time to do sand-art with our toes, poke at the strange creatures that floated onshore (ok, so that was just me, acting like a little kid...poking things with a stick, really?), gaze in awe at the crazy wind-surfers, admire the beach homes, and generally chill out to the sound of the waves.  It was lovely.

Of course, that ocean air makes you hungry (who am I kidding...I'm always hungry), so we headed into the cutesiness that is a beach town and parked ourselves on the front deck at Poe's Tavern for the night.  Their burgers came highly recommended from our Magnolia's waiter, and while burgers might not exactly sound like a light and healthy option, they did provide a categorical break from the world of FRIED chicken and FRIED green tomatoes that we'd been living in for a couple days.  Not that I need a break from fried deliciousness, and I realize that switching from fried to burger is not a healthy switch in any way...oh, fine, yes, I put pimento cheese on top AND had fries on the side.  Let the gut bombs continue!!

In their defense, Kami and Carolyn started with side salads and skipped the fries.  I'm just a glutton for punishment.  I'm sorry, heart and assorted internal organs - I'll get right on that workout program, promise.

Ok...and then we stopped for a Frosty at Wendy's.  And possibly some treats from Piggly Wiggly (BEST grocery store name EVER).  Couldn't help myself.  Yum.  Always room for sweet treats!

The next morning we set out to wind our way down to Savannah, and I can't even begin to tell you how many people suggested we stop in Beaufort along the way for lunch and a stroll through the historic area.  So...we did!  It is a cutesy little town, and we had a tasty lunch, some more time in giant swings along the waterfront...

...a little antiquing, a little wandering, a minor fascination (at least on my part) with the Spanish moss hanging from the trees, and of course a stop for dessert on our way out of town at an adorable little cafe.  Look out, Georgia, here we come!